In Memoriam: Robert Daniel Ladd ’43
Update · Posted October 29, 2009
Bob Ladd '43, born January 16, 1922 in Ithaca, NY, passed away October 1, 2009 in Poolesville, MD. The son of Carl Edwin Ladd, '1912, Ph.D. 1915, Dean of the Colleges of Agriculture and of Home Economics and Director of the agricultural experiment station at Cornell, and Lucy Frances Clark, he grew up in Ithaca and was involved with Cornell throughout his entire life.
While a student, he was active as a member of the Seal and Serpent Fraternity, the Quill & Dagger and Scarab societies, the Faculty Committee on Student Conduct, the Junior Prom Committee and the Inter-fraternity Council. He played lacrosse in the spring, polo 1 season, and Freshman Hockey, then Varsity Hockey for the next three years. He graudated in May 1932 with a BS in Agricultural Economics and from a program in advanced ROTC.
After WWII he earned an MBA, and working for National Dairy, Bob joined the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees) as Executive Vice President living in Tulsa, Oklahoma (1949 – 1952). He helped to restart the Tulsa Cornell Club with Herb Gussman. After his move to Washington, D.C. in 1952 to be the executive assistant to Vice President Nixon, Bob joined the Cornell Club of Washington. He twice became its President in the 1960s (1960-1961, 1967-1968). He organized and ran a major testimonial dinner for William P. Rogers, the new U.S. Attorney General, Cornell Law 1937. Later in 1973 he organized and ran a very large testimonial dinner for Secretary of State William P. Rogers. He arranged for Vice President Nixon to make a campaign stop at Bailey Hall in 1960.
He was a life member of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) Alumni Association. He served three terms on the Cornell Council and was made an honorary Life Member of the Council in 2007. He was an active member of Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network (CAAAN) and interviewed prospective applicants to Cornell until five years ago.
He was one of the five founders of the CALS Development Committee where he served for 20 years. He was responsible for the largest gift to CALS, the Madrey Farm, bringing in $1.3 million to Cornell. The first year’s interest purchased the first computers for Mann Library. In 1992 Bob lectured at the Personal Enterprise Program – CALS – on the subject of using Government Research and Development dollars to start up a high technology company. He worked with the International Program office at ALS to help implement the Cornell-In-China effort much of which was focused on food production.
During many of Bob’s projects he would draw on the talents and resources at CALS to assist him get the job done and provide CALS professors with wider exposure to new technologies and people. Bob was selected for the CALS “Outstanding Alumni Award” in 1999 based on his extensive support for and work with CALS. He was profiled in the ALS News, May 1982 edition.
Bob and his wife Carol, Cornell, BA 1943, used to host Cornell Foreign Students visiting Washington, D.C. during the spring breaks. Bob would provide horses for horseback rides at the Annual CCW Picnic held of Fathers’ Day at Austin Kiplinger’s farm in Poolesville, MD.
Bob and Carol have five children, four of whom graduated from Cornell. They have 14 grandchildren, five of whom graduated from Cornell. They have five great grandkids, all too young at this writing to go to Cornell. The Ladd Cornell family tree now includes 21 Cornellians, including the five grandchildren who are 4th generation Cornellians.
A memorial service will be held at 5 pm on Saturday November 7th at the Potomac Hunt Club, 21315 Peachtree Road, Dickerson, MD.
